A 401(k) is a savings plan which is sanctioned on the retirement of any employee. Before the taxes are taken out, it functions to save and invest a portion of the paycheck. Until the money has been withdrawn from the account successfully, the taxes aren't paid.

A 401(k) plan governs a section of the tax code and is used as a supplement to pensions. Over the course of retirement, these pensions are paid out to the ex-employee by the employer. A government employee is also eligible for receiving a pension. The replacement of the 401(k) has taken place primarily due to the escalating cost of the pensions. Now, the pensioner can control their invested money from the 401(k). Most of the options offered, date funds, stocks, bonds, money market investments but the most popular of them are conversions of them into date funds or bonds and stocks or conversion into precious metals such as gold or silver. One can transfer or rollover from one IRA to another within a period of 12 months.

Primary Benefits of the 401(k) Plan

When a 401(k) plan has been introduced, it has accompanied along with it a number of benefits.

Savings become automated.

Options for various investment plans widen.

The companies match.

The increased ability to borrow from the account under circumstances.

The growth is tax deferred.

Convenience

Many plans offer a various way for investment in the account, in such a way we know that the investment choices are limited. These investment choices will include mutual funds, bonds, and stocks from the company due to which the investment options for the 401(k) diversify.

Many companies have stopped offering pensions to their ex-employees and have started to offer them with a company match in which the employee might have invested in, which serves as a huge perk for the employees. This, in turn, helps the company reach its matching funds faster and this is beneficial for the pensioner. This feature has made the factor of convenience devoid of hassles, as the employee would be able to access the account funds under many plans and circumstances. Considering these factors, one should also know that loans borrowed must be repaid back within 5 years of time and on leaving the loan of the 401(k) outstanding, there would be a limited time period for them to repay their loan.

401(k) Precious Metals Rollover

This method of conversion basically includes the rollover of a 401(k) account to a precious metal IRA account. When the employee works in a company which offers and sponsors the 401(k) account then it is unlikely of the employee to rollover funds into precious metals like gold or silver. However, the factor might vary from company to company depending upon their policies.

The 401(k) accounts and plans can be rolled over by a former employer and the rolling over the process to a gold or silver IRA account can be done over a short period of time. Basically, the after selecting a custodian for yourself, make sure to finish all the paperwork to finish the transfer of funds the old account to the new IRA account. Once all the necessary paperwork has been completed, the IRA custodian might ask you to shop various gold or silver dealers for the products you might want to purchase. Once the choice is done, the precious metal dealer will contact the IRA custodian for the payment. Next, both the IRA custodian and the precious metal’s dealer will determine shipment of the precious metals into a depository.

Before this action has been carried out, the 401(k) account holder must be sure to consider the issues of choosing the right custodian, choosing the right depository, the gold or silver products which needs to be purchased and the contributors which have been on-going. The gold or silver precious metals which are eligible for purchase carry premiums which a low and are liquid in comparison to other products.

Investing in Precious Metal Rollover

One might consider investing in a rollover of their 402(k) to a precious metal IRA account under various factors like:

Concerns of Inflation

Investors often invest in precious metals in order to ward off the drastic changes which take place in inflation period. We know that inflation is the sudden increase in the price of the goods and products reducing the demand of the purchasing class. On the onset of an inflation period, the returns on an investment might actually become lower than its normal returns. In the case of liquid cash, that is gold or silver, the value of the precious metals tend to remain more or less increased and hence can hence the increased prices can be hedged.

Diversification of Portfolio

In today’s time, the investors look for various options and asset classes apart from stocks and bonds. In such a case, the gold or silver layer gives an extra diversification layer and correlates to the stock and bond exhibition adding to the portfolio diversification.

Reliable Store of Value

The use or investment of money on precious metals dates back to the historical period of the barter system in Mohenjo-Daro. This proves its reliability and has also been inherited as a store of value even in today’s time.

Peace of Mind

Unlike the paper counterparts, the value of the precious metals does not depreciate and hence prevents bankruptcy. This, in turn, provides a peace of mind as the history being witness to the value of precious metals and their reliability, brings about a comfort in the investment.

Final Verdict

Considering these guidelines, the rollover of a 401(k) to a precious metals IRA account holder has been introduced with the basic guidelines for the execution. However, if the account belongs to a previous account holder, one must always consult a tax professional regarding these issues. In order to encounter smooth operation, one must follow the guidelines which have been pointed out.

Everyone is familiar with the name IBM (International Business Machines Corporation), but most of them are not familiar with Big Blue. Usually, these two are the same. IBM was formed in the name of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) back in 1911 and later renamed to IBM in 1924. We all know the history of IBM and their inventions. IBM is currently running their operation in over 170 countries. Most of our necessary gadgets are their invention like hard disk drive, automated teller machine, magnetic stripe card, UPC barcode, SQL programming language, dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), etc.

The market of IBM is huge. They manufacture both software and hardware products. Besides, IBM is one of the largest companies in the world having 380K employees. They are the record holder of having the most patents generated by a business company. Their research wing is very active and their latest invention is IBM Watson. According to many sources, IBM has a plan to bring revolutionary changes in paystub generator sector.
Today we are going to discuss five of their upcoming products.

First of all, IBM is developing a holographic chatting system (also known as 3D Telepresence). The programmers said that they are very close to make this happen. The improvement of 3D camera makes it easier to reach to the common people. The researchers of the University of Arizona successfully made a system that is capable of sending holographic images to nearby locations in time. Besides, it is said that we will be able to enter into personal computers through 3D visualization. Thus, the pictures we see now in 2D, we will be able to see them in 3D.

Secondly, the next item on the list is lithium/air battery project (battery 500). This project is still under development and the results are quite satisfactory. IBM believes that these batteries will be able to use the same air which we breathe to produce energy. The concept is that these batteries will use oxygen and react with the metals. Besides, these batteries will be lightweight and very small in size. Surprisingly, these batteries will last ten times more than our regular lithium-ion battery.

Now the third item is personal sensor for every scientist. The development of personal sensors is really important for the welfare of the people. It is essential for the scientists to collect data and preserve them in a storage. IBM predicts that it will be possible within the next five years to collect all these data and send it to various devices like cell phones, cars, computers, etc. using personal sensors. Persevering these data in huge amount can be resourceful in the coming days.

A smart computer system for drivers is number fourth in the list. IBM believes that we cannot solve the traffic problem only by creating new traffic rules or constructing new roads. There are other circumstances which control our transportation system. The smart computer system for drivers will not only show the best way to travel but also helps us with necessary objectives. This technology is based on mathematical models which analyzes probable values to help the drivers.

Last but not least, IBM is researching to control the temperature of a computer. According to a calculation, 50% of the energy is consumed in CPU (Central Processing Unit) to make the engine cooler. Now IBM wants to use this warm air in a significant way. IBM considers that this warm air can be used to heat various parts of a building or to heat water or convert it to current.
So, which idea seems more important to you? Let us know in the comment section.

The current world of marketing has grown more and more complex with the advent of the internet. The internet has made people all across the world more accessible to all businesses. This is both a disadvantage and a curse. Using an Internet marketing service is still more of an advantage than a disadvantage. The internet has a number of advertising strategies that can be used to promote a business. It does not need to be excessively costly like before. Listed below are a few steps that can be used to effectively market a business.

Portfolio building

Every business, in the beginning, starts out without a lot of gains and sometimes having to do free work or favors for people before they can gain a higher customer base. This is usually called as portfolio building. This is where the product or service is offered to a customer for low cost or free service for their honest feedback in return. It is always better to have a paying customer, saying good things about the business, but if a business is just starting out then it needs to build up its recommendations and portfolios, so to speak, that will recommend their product to other potential customers.

Target Customers

It is highly important to get the target customers right. Research into who would buy the product is highly important. For example, the Nano Car that was made and sold in India was initially marketed as the most economical family car, it did not do well. They rebranded it as a car for the youth, and the improved sales strategy much more. Once the target customers are decided, the next step is to use the appropriate internet platforms that are relevant to the age group or target market. For example,

It might help to search online looking for what are the most popular social media sites used by females aged 18-25, etc. For more sophisticated reports on these details, there are companies that conduct, surveys and research on these topics. These sites are what have to be the main focus of the social media advertising.

Social Media Accounts

It is important to have social media accounts such as LinkedIn, Blogger, YouTube, your own company sites, twitter, facebook, etc. The wider the net that is spread the larger coverage of the audience is going to be. If a person sees a business on every social media they visit, eventually they get curious about the product or service being offered. This is especially if the service fulfills a need. It is very important to maintain social media accounts that show various facets of the business. For example,

Twitter for teasers and promos on your latest content.

YouTube for a creative, interactive and fun demonstration and promotion of a product.

Blogger for a more detailed explanation, about everything that the business and the product is about.

Snapchat for a video teaser of an important or happening event.

Every Social media has certain merits that can be used to the advantage of the business, to give the customers a more well-rounded view of the business and increases the chances of customers.

Promoting via Influencers

There are certain well-known people/ businesses/blogs that have a huge ready-made following of people. Getting these influencers to promote or even discuss the business will be a good way to promote the business. This can be done by an exchange of values. The values, that the business offers to the influencers, aside from money, for example, more product or service review. More traffic to the blog if it is a writing business.

Promoting with Information

A great way to promote the business is to explain the way the business works. What are the services provided to the people? Providing good and true information to the people with a high level of transparency increases the chances of a loyal customer base. It increases trust and willingness of a new customer to give the business a chance.

The above-mentioned strategies are a few techniques that are sure to work well if used consistently and continuously. A business may struggle initially with a low growth rate with the internet, but if the business is any good and actually fills a need in the customer world, then it will definitely grow at an exponential rate. The most important thing about any type of marketing be it physical or internet marketing is to always be present in the public eye as a reminder to remember to use the business in case of a need. If the company does not have the time to promote itself specifically, this is where the hiring of an internet marketing service comes into play.

SEO as we know it is ‘the future’ of the internet. SEO has played a great role in the searches in order to provide the query searchers, us the best answer to our searches. Well, it seems to a people oriented phenomenon but it isn't. The rankings which are accompanied by SEO is what many people be it creators or suppliers or distributors et cetera be it any other person who is on the internet running a website sorts wants to capitalize the situation. SEO is an way to make your website flaunt on the top of the search engine result pages (SERPs). It the best way to invite the much awaited traffic to your website. But this is not enjoyed by all. How many websites are present on the first page of any search engine result pages? Hardly ten and how many people bother to click ‘Next Page’ approximately none.

Above reasons make the SEOs so important. SEO based ranking makes a huge load of difference to a website owner, managers et cetera as the last thing they want is the traffic for their pages, which many intend to transform into a monetary liquidity as per their needs. Many reading would obviously know what is SEO but for those who just fell on to this article out of nowhere, thanks to SEO seems it's doing pretty well, let's discuss what is SEO to start from.

What is a SEO ?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It's totally understandable from its elaborated from what it actually does still for those who didn’t, if split up it would form two parts. Search Engine which means any search engine of your choice be it from known web or dark web it does follow search engine optimization and the word Optimization would mean what it has meant in the Oxford Dictionary, simply put to make it as good as possible. Combining both it says making a search engine as good as possible using some set of instructions or code of conduct.

Technically SEO is defined as ‘ a process to increase quality and quantity of traffic on website through organic search engine results.’ Again splitting it up where quantity implies to almost every internet user who would pay a visit to the said website while quality means the right traffic that is the people who care about the website's content which extends to stringent followers to people who transform their visit into a monetary gain either by donation or simply by visiting sponsored website. The term organic traffic means all those people who visit the website but weren't drawn to the website due to a paid sponsorship or a paid advert that is they are the visitors who may be constant followers or may have discovered the site but not due to any monetary involvement, again thanks to SEO.

Now with this said and all the basic knowledge required gathered what we move forward is towards some statistics about search engine optimizations (SEO) gathered from various trusted sources who are deeply into such sorts are and are totally dependable and not fake. These statistics are supported by the said websites individually based on their studies which were carried on over a particular period. Here are some search engine optimization statistics.

Content is King

The phrase ‘Content is King’ has long wandered the internet while it has also caused conspiracies over its legitimacy. With so many copy paste blogs and stolen content issues also copyright infringements which add fuel to fire to this phrase, conspiracies are not so wrong. But reports shut these debate once for all. As reported quality content is among the factors of ranking while it is also said to increase the rank of such content carrying websites.

Longer the Content, Higher the Rank, More of the Hope

Yes! Longer content helps. In a study, it was found that all the pages with its content of more than thousand words were found to rank higher than the fellow competitors who lacked a quality and a lengthy content. Such pages were supposedly ranked 1.5 points higher.

Images or No Images? Maybe just an Image!

Coming directly to the point, a page with one single image ranks higher than pages with no image study states. It is obvious as images actually enrich the content of the page thus it does increase the content’s quality at least by a bit. With this said it doesn't mean that more images make the webpage of a website rank more higher, study awaits.

Old is Gold! Only if it shines

A study suggested working on old posts again does work. Updating the old blog posts and republishing them on the same website will help your website gain higher ranks due to search engine optimization. It was seen an enormous rise of about 111 percent in organic visitors to the site. The study cautions constant republishing of old blogs. So it’s good but not too good.

Organic or Paid?

Get ready to cough up a fair sum of green stash if you want to see that traffic you are starving for. Hunger for website traffic can only be dealt with cash as there was a drastic fall of four percent for the year 2016 in organic traffic to seven percent which held almost eleven percent in the year 2015. Now presently it doesn't even hold a double-digit share. Surely SEO has helped many advert companies mount in loads of bucks.

So these were some facts that should be known before you design a website and want It to be SEO friendly, also helps if you have already designed it so maybe just some fun facts. Adiós.

So, you have a great idea for an app. You think there is an audience out there, and you are hell bent on developing it so that you can get it to market as soon as possible. Yes, it will be a costly project; yes, it will require hours upon hours of wireframing and development.

It’s time to take a step back and just breathe for a minute. Before you launch headlong into a complex and costly app development, make the smart choice to do the research, determine the need, and then develop an MVP that will “test the waters.”

Developing a minimum viable product is not something new, nor should it be considered a “negative.” It’s normal to want to develop the entire product from the “get-go,” but it is not wise. Consider this: Google and Dropbox both created MVP’s before they moved forward. And look where they are today.

If you have never developed an MVP before, it can seem a bit scary. How do you actually do it? Here is your simple guide to MVP development - five steps that will take you from conception to the creation of a product that can be tested and marketed before you develop full functionality.

Define the “WHY?”

If you are developing an app because you think it is cool, then you may be sorely disappointed. Every app, even a game, is built to solve a consumer problem, not your need. So, do the research. Who is your target demographic and what do they want? Creating a customer persona is a major and critical first step. From that persona, you can then identify individual consumers who are willing to participate in user acceptance testing.

Blue-Sky It – the “WHAT” – The Product Requirements Document

This is the step during which you will develop your product requirements list. It the “What” of your app.

Begin by developing a workflow diagram of exactly how your app will work. You need two columns. On the left, identify the input and on the right, the output. From this diagram, you will be able to identify the product features and create that PRD.

Your Product Requirements Document will describe in detail all of the features, relative to the design and user experience. It will become the “bible” for developers. And those developers must be “in” on these discussions, for they will determine the software architecture that will be necessary, the projected time and cost involved in each feature development, etc.

Another critical piece of the product requirements document will be the criteria for release. At what point will the MVP be ready for testing by your audience? This part of your document may indeed have to wait until you have completed Step 3.

Getting Minimal

From the workflow diagram that you have crafted, it is now time to start eliminating features and functions. There is one question that you must continually ask as you move through this process – “What is the least important function of those that remain?”

As you eliminate, of course, you will want to keep a listing of what you removed and in what order. Because, once the MVP is released, tested, and proven to be successful, you will want to add those functions in the reverse order in which you took them out. Your engineers must have this list as well, so that they may what functions will be developed next and in what order.

Once you are down to the minimum viable product, you and your developers(s) can craft that section of the product requirements document that includes the criteria for release:

Are all the mandatory functions in place?

Is the app, in its current MVP state, intuitive and user-friendly?

Does performance provide a great user experience?

Short Development Sprints

Divide the development process into short chunks. As working code is developed and tested in-house, pause to ensure that each chunk is still compatible with the “why” of your product development. Sometimes, the nature of software development means that the scope of a function may change. New ideas may emerge. While these may not be on your plate right now, keep track of them for future scaling.

If a new idea is added, what will you take out? Remember, this is an MVP.

What are You Doing About a Business Plan?

If you are a first-time entrepreneur, and our app is your startup, what have you done about a plan to acquire the funding you may need to fully develop? It is time at this point to look for business plan writers, especially if your strength is in tech and not in marketing/writing. Do not wait until your MVP is finished and tested to do this. That plan must be ready to present to potential investors. At this stage in the process, you have the information you need to craft that plan, and you want it polished and ready.

The Beta Testing

Once the minimum functions are in place and once the criteria for release have been met, it is time for actual user testing. For this step in the process, you and the developer(s) must create a list of tasks you want your testers to perform.

During the testing phase, performance of tasks must be closely monitored. Where are there issues with navigation, speed, etc.? Are there “fails” that must be fixed? What bugs must be worked out?

The other key component of beta testing is tester feedback. Is their experience enjoyable? And, most important, does this product provide a solution to the problem or gap you originally identified? User feedback may also generate ideas that will cause you to re-think the additional functions you originally envisioned – all the better! Remember – it’s all about the user, not you.

Your final development revisions and “fixes” will be based upon actual user testing.

Get Your MVP and that Business Plan Out There

You may not love the idea of marketing and investment-seeking, but it is a reality you must face. There are places to start, obviously. App reviewers abound, and you can offer incentives to reviewers to perform this function for you. You may need some professional help or, at the very least, to conduct some research on your own about marketing options.

If you truly love your car and value the amount you spent, you will always be searching for how to protect your car from daily damage. Yes, there are several elements that are capable of damaging your car daily. Most of the elements are what most car owners ignore not knowing that they are the main culprit for their car damage. Parking your car under the intense heat of summer sun or under the freezing snow falling winter season can make the car to damage daily without your knowledge. Also, parking your car under a tree for shield may seem great at least to protect it from heat from the sun, but it can put the car at risk of being damaged by bird droppings and other elements. This post is dedicated to provide you information on how to protect your vehicle from daily damage.

1, Get a Sunshade While Driving On Hot Sunny Day

While driving on hot sunny road, you need to consider protecting your car screen including the windscreen the door screen and others. Just make use of sunscreen and the glasses will be protected. The reason for this is that intense heat from the sun can result to cracking of your windscreen and other glasses on your vehicle. So, car sunshade is of great important in this respect.

2, Avoid Parking under Shield of Tree to Avoid Bird Dropping

Parking under a tree shield may seem wonderful due to the fact that it can help protect your vehicle from direct heat from the sun. But, the truth is that it can expose your vehicle to risk of being damaged by bird droppings. Bird excretes usually contain chemical that can quickly damage paint on the exterior part of a car. That is why you should not always rely on parking under shield of tree to protect your car from damage.

3, Wash Your Car Regularly

It is important you wash your car regularly to remove the dust, debris and other dirt that can lead to scratching of the paint. Make sure you use smooth material to scrub the body of your car in order to avoid scratching off the paint.

4, Wax on the Car to Protect the Paint

While planning to protect your car, you must also plan to protect the paint properly. The best way to protect the paint is to wax on and wax off the car. The wax can help protect the surface paint from being scratched off or damaged by debris and other little elements here and there.

5, Cover the Car When Parked Either At Home or In the Office

Whether your car is parked at home, in the office or it is on the go, you must look for a way to protect it always. Covering your car while parked is the best way to avoid dust, debris, bird dropping water splashes, acid rain and even heat from the sun from damaging it. You must look for mobile car umbrella that can go with your car anywhere it goes. That is where the need for innovative Lanmodo car umbrella which is built with automatic feature operated with remote control.

The Internet of Things is on its way to transforming the outlook of the market and the expectations of consumers in the coming decade. It is a relatively new concept and still has to be tried and tested in order be fully activated. IoT refers to the growth of networking objects, which are able to communicate with each other in an autonomous manner, which means no human involvement. Linked intricately to the M2M (Machine to Machine) concept, IoT is stepping into the market to revolutionize devices indoors and outdoors that will be communicating with each other. Made up of three major components, they include the “things” themselves, the connecting networks and the data analytics flowing in between. Big data in IoT brings about a whole new facet of networking.

Management of manufacturing and production assets is the largest area of IoT. This includes how all the aspects and functions of an entire factory are hooked up to the internet with every single item being shipped over seas tracked by the Internet. This would increase efficiency in the manufacturing and shipping of products in order to increase punctuality of product shipping. This was first brought into being when FedEx started using trackable packages being shipped all over the world. This has become a new innovation which is being built upon in order to be used to track any product or pallet being shipped enabling tracking its position in real time. Internet of Things is being used in farming as well as trade, interconnecting with other entities.

● Smart Grid Alternative Energy Storage

The way energy will be generated, distributed, consumed and stored will be changed according to IDC. Energy generation will involve optimization of uptime with the output enabling the centralized generation of energy. The total budget set for the energy usage and distribution will be able to be controlled. Smart grids are basically created to become an alternating source, which will be able to store energy and distribute it according to need.

● Smart Homes

Smart homes will be produced by the application of the Internet of Things. This includes the smart thermostat, which can control the temperature of the home, like Nest. Another example includes a smoke detector which functions by an Internet connection and blinds on the window connected to the Internet. In this case, the window blinds close according to the information programmed into the system which shows reciprocation with change in temperature and light. Home furniture has not only become hydraulic or modular, the furnishings can also be connected to the Internet. Such furniture will include mirrors which will be able to suggest skin regimens for problems of the skin by analysis and also tables which look like wooden furniture but actually can be used to make calls, check emails, video calls, etc.

● Gadgets for Consumers

Consumer gadgets are the future of Internet of Things and will come in handy for home chores. This includes a microwave oven, which cooks food using the Internet. This involves using the iPhone to program the microwave oven with the time and food type, and also watch it cook the food over a live video stream. Another type of these gadgets includes a smart brush, which is a toothbrush, which will be able to review dental problems, if any, and also recommends brushing techniques. Fitness trackers and health monitors which technically involve the person in activities, will be controlled by the Internet and monitor the variables of body health.

● Innovations for Security

Security and safety is a priority when it comes to a smart home with smart consumer gadgets. Since the smart grid is used to store energy in order to connect the energy stored to homes for a renewable resource, there is also a possibility of having the city’s power get knocked out if they face a security glitch. This can turn off the power just because of the whole system crashing. Hence, in order to check this vulnerability of the Internet of Things, developments are being researched in order to implement a safe system.

● Entertainment of Consumers

Consumer entertainment will reach a pinnacle of luxury as home entertainment devices connected to the Internet can be controlled by voice commands or even haptic technology. It will now be easy to control the volume of the music system from afar; similarly ordering food online will also be easy using Amazon Echo or Google Home.

Conclusion

In order to benefit the normal household, smart health devices, smart homes and other consumer products are all set to rule the market as Internet of Things has started to gain momentum in all areas. It helps people benefit from its vast effects as the Internet of Things uses the internet to connect with the world in an autonomous manner, with programmed microprocessors and hardwired sensors doing their job.

For any business that truly values efficiency, it is a no-brainer to have an IVR virtual receptionist. This is why an increasing number of companies are relying on this type of automated phone attendant system for greeting callers, asking and answering questions, and routing individuals to the right department or agent. However, virtual receptionists are not all the same. Just ask any customer who has found themselves stuck on hold for long stretches at a time. The following are some useful tips to help you take your virtual receptionist to the next level to provide your customers with a great first impression and leave them with a positive experience.

First Record A Real Person's Voice And Then Re-Record It

One thing about IVRs that annoys many callers is that they feel as if they are speaking with a robot. One of the most common criticisms made about virtual receptionists is that people want to be able to speak to a real person. Having a live agent for answering the phone isn't always possible. So until a caller is able to speak with a real human, make sure that the experience that they have is as close to being human as possible. Use your own voice to record all of your menu options. Then listen to your menu and be sure to re-record any of the parts that are hard to understand, awkward or seem forced. Don't rush through this part. It is the very first thing that a caller hears when reaching your business, so you want to make sure that you leave a good first impression.

Pay Close Attention To How You Word Your Menu Options

Just like all conversations between an agent and a customer, the responses you set up to use on your virtual receptions should always be professional and courteous. To take an obvious example: if you are selecting a response for when your IVR needs the caller to repeat what he just said, don't have it say "What?" That can sound rude. Instead use something like, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said. Can you repeat that please?" Even when a machine is doing all of the talking, manners are still very important.

Keep Things Simple

Callers want the same thing that you do, which is to be routed to the right individual as soon as possible. When there are too many menu options, your customers might feel like they are wandering through a maze that never ends. Make sure that your menu options are kept simple, and have as few steps as possible from start to finish.

Fix Loops

Many of today's IVR systems offer touchtone versus speech recognition options. Just make sure with speech recognition that your IVR doesn't pick up background noise and think it is the caller's voice. That can result in looping and frustrate the caller.

Pay Close Attention To Benchmarks

According to a recent study, the average hold time across businesses of all different sizes is 56 seconds. When you are trying to gauge how well you are serving your customers and how fast you are at attending to their needs then benchmarks do matter. So determine how well you stack up against benchmarks. It can help you figure out what you need to do to improve your phone system.

Remember To Say Thank You

We previously emphasized manners, and this relates to that, but there is another reason for why it also stands on its own. Customers can get testy when they are on hold, so it is up to you to make sure that they know that their patience and business is appreciated. Just simply saying thank you can go a long way.

Even if you are not too fond of gadgets, there will always be someone you know who is just addicted to anything that is related to technology. It may be a family member, a friend or a colleague. It is evident that if you want to give gifts that will be appreciated, you need to give something that they will truly love.

With the wide selection of gadgets that are available, how can you possibly choose? You first have to analyze your relationship with the person that you are going to give the gift to. If the person is close to you, you may want to spend more. If the person is merely an acquaintance, you do not have to give something extravagant even if you can afford it because it will be uncomfortable for you and the person.

Let us say that you would be giving a gift to a family member, a loved one or a close friend. What are the gifts that you can give?

1. Keyboard Waffle Maker: For the Hilarious Friend

You may have a friend who is so into playing and using his/her gadgets that he/she barely has time to cook. You can give the Keyboard Waffle Maker to remind the person that he/she still needs to eat. At the same time, the unique appearance of this waffle maker will make anyone happy. Since this is cordless, this can be cooked over a grill.

2. GoProHero+: For Someone Who Likes Traveling

You will always come across some people who live to travel. They would like to reach different points of the world because being immersed in different cultures truly change their mindset and their way of thinking. The best thing about GoProHero+ is that it is waterproof and shock proof. It can also take wonderful pictures that can be uploaded online immediately.

3. Light Up Gloves: For the Daredevil

Some people love riding their motorcycles and even their bikes late at night because there are fewer cars traveling at that time but they are also more prone to accidents because they are not seen by other vehicles on the road. Increase their safety by giving them Light Up Gloves. These gloves are very easy to use too. The button located at the gloves just need to be pressed and they will light up until they are pressed again.

4. Syma RC Helicopter: For the Peter Pan

You will always have that friend or that family member who does not want to grow up. Most of the time, they are able to live their normal, adult lives. They go to work and do their responsibilities but during their spare time, they cannot help but release the inner Peter Pan in them. This RC Helicopter will be perfect because this is inexpensive and can be fun to use.

5. Cool Looking Charger: For the Chic Friend

You may think that everyone who loves gadgets must love the outdoors or would love to play various types of sports but actually, there are some who are chic and sophisticated who love gadgets too. The best thing to give is a chic looking charger that they will be proud to put out of their designer bag whenever they need to charge. Search for colors that are not that common or you can find some that can mix the color of their smartphones.

6. 8Bitdo Bluetooth Retro Controller: For the Nostalgic One

You will always have some friends and family members who love playing the latest games and would love to have the latest gadgets but would gladly give a smile when reminded of the things that people used in the past. This bluetooth controller is set up to look like an old Nintendo controller and this can easily sync up with all of the other gadgets that are available at present time.

7. Tile: For Those Who Loses Keys All The Time

Everyone misplaces their keys once in a while but you will know someone who does nothing but lose his/her keys. This is the best gift because this can be attached to simple keys. The gadget will then be connected to the smartphone and it will give out an alarm when prompted so that it can be found.

Out of all the tech gadget ideas that are mentioned above, which one are you planning to purchase soon? Do not hesitate to give you gift ideas too.

Web/app design is becoming a crowded field. With a growing number of professional designers for hire, it is an easy task to hire someone to craft a delightful user experience – it really is an art form. Designing the user interface, however, is an entirely different matter, and the market is far less “flooded” with UI developers.

UI designers have to take the creative plan of a UX design and translate that into actual screens, pages, and all of the visual elements that users will need to have the great experience they want from an app and to ensure that the experience is delightful no matter what device may be “in play.”

There are some “best practices” in crafting great UI – here are seven of them.

Simplicity and Consistency

One of the essential elements of an app that provides a great user experience is simplicity. Users should not have to try to figure out how to navigate around; they should not face any confusion, but, instead, be directed quite simply.

This means as few buttons and other navigational options as possible. If your app is more complex, than present a link for “advanced options.” This allows users to get the basics down, and they may not want to go any further. For others, the advanced options will provide the interfaces they want to move on to.

Consistency removes “chaos” from the app. Color, font, buttons, and icons should all be familiar and comfortable for the user. Changing these things out mid-stream only confuses the user who has to then force his brain to adjust – not cool.

Understanding the Audience

A good UI developer spends time with the client and the UX designer, in order to understand the target demographic of an app. Think, for example, of the differences between the interface needs of a 15-year old, Gen Z demographic and a senior citizen, Baby Boomer one. They can be huge, just in terms of navigational tools in an app, not to mention typography style and size. The more a UI developer knows about the target audience, the better the “fit” of the interface for that audience. as well, the visuals,

Use Visual Hierarchy

Some elements and features of an app are clearly more important than others. They need to stand out. While consistency is important, those things that should command attention from a user should stand out in some way – through color, size, typography, etc. Another example of the effective use of visual hierarchy would be to create lots of white space around a call-to-action button, so that it immediately draws the eyes of a user.

Making Use of Typography

Too many fonts can be confusing and create some chaos in a user’s brain. In fact, OWDT recommends that app developers should ideally use two fonts. Here is the thing about fonts, however:

The nature of the app should dictate selection of fonts. Is it serious, playful, or inspirational?

The nature of the user demographic should also play into this selection. A younger user will tolerate more contemporary and playful fonts while an older, more serious demographic will not find them comfortable.

You can use size and color variation of the same font to create visual hierarchy too. Different background colors will also provide variation to the same font.

Speaking of Color

The UX designer may have a lot to say about color, so be certain that this is discussed at length. There is an entire body of research on the psychological “triggers” of colors, so study it and be certain that the colors are conveying the right “message” to users. There is a reason why the Lego website and apps use only bright primary colors; there is a reason why Rolex uses blacks, silvers and grays. Color consistency also gives users a nice comfort level.

That said, there is certainly something else to be said for the use of contrasting colors in order for certain elements to stand out and draw users’ attention. Everything in moderation, however. If you use the concept of contrasting colors too much, users can become irritated.

Build in Feedback Messages

This is one of the best arguments for testing interfaces all along the way. You have no way of knowing how users may mess up as they navigate and use your features. They will find ways to mess up, however – count on it. To determine where they may get off course, you will need to test, test, test with actual users from the audience demographic. Once you have identified those points at which errors will occur, you can design feedback messages that will let them know what went wrong and how they can fix it.

Sometimes, especially when users are filling in forms or making payments, there will be a necessary pause while information is being processed. Don’t leave your user “in the dark.” Give them a signal that things are processing so they do not duplicate. And give them another signal when information has been processed.

Forms Must Be Simple

Consider the purpose of each form you design. There should be a minimal number of fields for the user to complete – remember, many of them will be on mobile devices. If the conversion is simply to subscribe to a newsletter, for example, you do not need more than name and email address. For payment purposes, of course, you will need credit card/banking information. If the billing and shipping address are the same, however, a simple check-the-box interface will do. The concept is simple – Minimize.

Interface design is a complex task and it can be somewhat intimidating. If you have experience with UX design, however, you are a natural to move into this more “intimidating” function. Just remember the basics – ease of use, simplicity of navigation, understanding the audience, consistency, compatible typography and color, and visual hierarchy. Juggling all of these elements is not easy, but the person who can do it will be in high demand.

Doing business on the go has become the new norm. So does dealing with all sorts of financial transactions through your trusted smart phone or device. From purchasing stocks, making wire transfers and quick personal deposits - mobile finances has exploded in popularity the past few years

The industry keeps growing. Over 1.75 billion users are expected to conduct banking operations through mobile devices by the end of 2019. With this explosive growth what are the benefits for financial enterprises? As more of banking moves into the digital realm, the less money financial institutions have to invest into brick and mortar locations, as well as all of the personnel that goes along with that. When technology can perform all of the functions of a bank teller, and when all of those functions can be safely and easily accomplished by a user app, everyone wins.

But there’s some bad news as well - not all of those users are particularly happy with the kind of user experience they are currently having with their mobile banking. According to the latest J.D. Powers survey only 32% of bank customers say they trust mobile banking and most respondents indicated that they are not “fully satisfied” with the current app proposed by your bank.

The bottom line is this - while financial app development definitely is a promising sector, product owners should specifically focus on building a user-friendly, secure and personalized product rather than deploying just “some app” to stay in trend.

Building That App – Key Elements to Consider

There are several steps in the process of creating a financial app that users will find friendly, safe, and easy to use. If you can accomplish these three things, you will keep customers and your costs down. Consider the following critical pieces.

Know Your Customer

Just who is our mobile consumer? Most would say it is the millennial and younger generations. And they would be mostly correct.

But here’s the thing: Gen X’ers and even 45% of Baby Boomers are using online banking too. And people are interacting with their banks far more frequently than they used to. It’s now so easy to check a balance, transfer funds, and pay bills, if, and this is a BIG if, the app is well done. If not, customers will be lost.

So, what are the biggest objections/frustrations of our potential app users? You have to find this out before you can begin to build or remodel an app.

Here is what consumers are saying about their current banks’ mobile apps:

They are worried about security

The application is not user friendly and they have trouble navigating through it.

It’s too slow

The other critical information you need to get from your customers is what exactly do they want to be able to do on your app. You can use data analytics to track customer behavior or you can ask. But, in general, here is what most consumers do on their financial apps:

94% check their balances or transactions

71% will download their bank’s app on their mobile phones

61% transfer funds

57% sign up for alerts

51% deposit checks

48% pay bills

List the Elements You Will Include

Don’t just make a simple list. Create a scenario for each element. How do you want the customer to go through the process involved?

Once you have all of this, you are ready to look at developers, if you don’t have the in-house expertise. Seasoned financial app developers can take what you want and recommend the best technology stack for your needs.

And speaking of financial app developers, be selective as you search for the best one. They should be willing to show you case studies and put you in touch with clients for reference.

Security – It’s the Most Critical Challenge

You already have security measures in place if you offer online banking through your website. Translating those to a mobile app means the following:

Make sure your developer understands your security policies

Application servers must be carefully configured, so that phishing is avoided

Use the most current digital signature technology – you want everything secure and yet easy for the user

Utilize encryption for all user stored data.

Have a password strength checker – never allow your customers to use simply and easily-hacked passwords.

Be firm with your customers on how they are to behave when using your app. They must password-protect their phones; they should never store their passwords with you; they must logout when finished; they must install app updates. They have to do their part to protect their information too.

Keep it Simple

You know the features your customers want. Limit activities to those features only. If the majority of your customers pay bills on the app, then focus the application around that feature. Don’t waste time building features, such as applying for loans, that are hardly used by your clients.

As the app matures continue adding features in a methodical and customer centric way.

Sleek Design and UX

Here are the things to think about:

Only a couple of steps to get to functions - reduce the number of clicks.

Users love notifications - make sure you offer that to them.

Analyze & track the features most frequently used, and focus the user interface on those functions.Test, Test, Test

While security is important, make sure you have a fully refined QA process in place to reduce any problems with the software.

And don’t forget user testing – you’ll get great feedback.

Plan for Diverse Devices

Make sure you app works well across all devices and screen sizes. There are a number of services that offer online emulators for you to test your applications - make use of that.

Consider adding a mobile analytics piece in your application to track detailed information about usage, and better visibility into any problems your customers might be facing.

Cost – It’s Not Your Primary Concern

When looking for a developer for your application, cost should not be your only concern. Financial applications are complicated and require experienced developers who understand the intricacies of the industry, security and functionality. Don’t just go after the lowest priced developer.

Building a financial app will be key to retaining your customers. If even Baby Boomers are using them, the proverbial “handwriting is on the wall.” Take these eight “criticals” and find the right developer now.

The challenges of managing virtualized environments are mounting. The benefits of virtualization—from cost and labor savings to increased efficiency—are being threatened by its staggering growth and the resultant complexity. A critical piece to solving these challenges, as many organizations have already discovered, is image management. Read more: http://ibm.co/SpHTlV

Electronic health records are the modernized way of healthcare services. It electronically stores a patient’s information and his medical history. EHRs includes medical history, demographics, immunization status, radiology images, medication and allergies, laboratory test results, vital signs, personal statistics and billing information. These data can be shared across many health care units in a digital format. EHR (electronic health record) and EMR (electronic medical record) are two similar but very different concepts. EHR is a collection of a patient’s health information whereas EMR is a data source for EHR. EHRs are a smarter, easier and effective way of providing medical and healthcare facilities to the population.

Compared to paper-based record in hospitals, Electronic Health Record proves to be a smarter and more accurate choice. EHRs are easily legible compared to handwritten prescriptions and medical records. They are easy to update from time to time and the data are easily transferable between various EHR systems and can be used for quality improvement, resource management, and public health communicable disease surveillance. But there have also been many disputable points against this. Various surveys depict EHRs to be more time consuming and easily accessible for theft.

How Useful Are Those?

Electronic health records are very useful during Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The ambulances with EHR systems are more efficient because they include benefits like better pre-hospital care, patient data sharing, better training for paramedics, data-based outcome improvement, review of clinical standards, clinical decision support and much more. Automated handwriting recognition has also been a success. The handwritten medical forms and prescriptions can be easily converted to digital format and then can be operated on. EHRs improve the quality of care and improve coordination for better health care procedures. It eliminates the guessing histories of patients, seeing multiple specialists, easy transition between care facilities, and allows better service in emergency cases. Apart from improving the quality of healthcare, EHRs also saves a lot of time which otherwise would have been taken for identification of patients and their medical data. It also helps in long time preservation of stored records and also in synchronizing the stored data among different EHR systems.

However, they are not cost friendly. Not only do the health care institutions have to spend for its installation and maintenance but also need to hire IT officials for its working. Hospitals and physicians who opted for EHRs were found to be facing more loss than the gains from the machine, therefore putting them in a financial crisis. This makes EHRs suitable only for large and wealthy institutions and not for office physicians.

The Main Objective

The objective of creating the EHR was to improve the quality of healthcare services, better efficiency, reduce health disparities and ensure adequate privacy and security protections. It is useful in cases such as e-prescriptions, for the electronic exchange of health information, to submit clinical quality, inaccurate and efficient dealings in finance, diet of a patient, distribution of medical aid, improved monitoring of drug usage, enhance information integrity, reduce transcription errors, and reduce duplication of information data.

According to the Health and Human Services, the Security Rule set up a security structure for small as well as large establishments. All institutions must have a security plan including administrative safeguards, physical safeguards, and technical safeguards. But however, many healthcare and medical institutions have undergone many security breaches resulting in the loss of the confidential records in the past years. For the installation of Electronic Health Records in all institutions and practices, the centralization of all the health records is of utmost importance. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) limit the number of persons that can view your health records. But however, the estimate of the number of people that can come across your details, as part of any medical procedures or operations, is not accurately decidable. The personal data breach notification informs an individual in the case of a breach of information. This helps the individual to take the necessary actions to limit the undesired effects due to the breach as well as encourages the institutions to increase and strengthen their security.

EHR Systems

The EHR systems help in one-to-one or one-to-many exchanges between different institutions. So the customization of the EHR systems is very important in order to fit the needs of the patient, to standardize the records, and to overcome the language barriers between different nation for the procedures of healthcare to function smoothly and efficiently. The European Commission is trying to allow the cross-border exchange of information and data through the e-health systems and to remove the potential legal hurdles. This may lead to the practice of teleradiology, which would allow radiologists to serve various care facilities around the globe. But the legalization of these practices in many countries provides a big challenge.

The smart use of Electronic Health Records can not only be confounded in human care but also for animal care. The veterinary experts are promoting the use of EHRs into their practices to allow a global workflow. The veterinary medical records are being used to study and treat various animal diseases worldwide.

Electronic Health Records are no doubt a smarter and efficient way of healthcare. The legal clarity, costs, and customization of the system is a major problem now but many commissions and corporations are struggling to remove these potential hurdles and take the healthcare system to a new and improved level. Nevertheless, the market for e-health is increasing rapidly.

A Flow Chart usually follows a sequence or process by segregating each argument on a step by step basis in a neat and articulate format in the form of a visual representation. A diagram shape is provided in each step for writing the procedure. The process is sequentially followed from the beginning till the end by arrows or lines which denote the direction of the step by step arguments of the flow chart. Used as a powerful business tool, a flowchart which is able to produce proper construction and designs proves to be more communicative visually than elaborated in pointwise format. A flow chart is crisp and is a perfect tool to use in powerpoint presentations.

However, there are many aspects to a flow chart which needs to be focussed upon to make it perfect and visually impressive. As long as the user has sound knowledge about the tools in the software, there is no stopping him to nail the work he would do using the flow chart.

Symbols on a Flow Chart

The software for the flow chart uses various symbols and shapes in order denote various actions and steps which need explanation. The sequence of the steps will be able to be shown using lines and arrows and also the relationship between every step and argument. The flow chart symbols basically is dictated by the type diagram. It might be displayed as if the diagram might need an input or output symbol, however, it is hardly expected in most of the procedures. As technology has advanced, the techniques and symbols of a flow chart has also changed along with it. Initially, flowchart symbols were used in representing punch cards of the computer. Considering this, there are much more symbols like the start or end symbols, action or process symbol, document symbols, multiple documents symbol, decision symbols etc.

In order to map a project, the most basic flowchart is used. However, it brings about a multidimensional purpose, but usually these flowcharts are used by students or software professionals to set the map of the project they might be working upon particularly for the involvement of a multi step sequence.

Swimlane Flowchart

Document of a process has internal and external requirements when it comes to business. From government compliant regulations, to standard reporting or even for stock and audit presentations, these flowcharts are used the maximum. There are many reason for using particularly this type of flowchart for business purposes as they are quick, flexible, is highly visible and helps in an improved organisation of tasks methodically.

EPC Diagram

There is a wide range of activities provided to be covered by the tasks in a business. From a set of simple tasks to covering up innumerable possible situations, such a flow chart models these processes into a predictable and consistent outcome. By EPC we mean Event-Driven Process Chain.

Work flow Diagram

A workflow diagram follows integration of a process or human task orientation. On the basis of a standardized output, the main aim is to create quality content with consistency parameters.

Process Map

The use of this map process flow chart is mainly for audits or for software and electronics. In order to improve process, even business panels use this type of a flow chart. The breakdown of a process and then the close examination of the smaller steps help in revealing areas of inefficiency which require improvements.

SDL Diagram

Special Description Language helps in describing the algorithm of a computer language on a step by step basis. This flow chart set offers with specific symbols which are required map real time systems. The basic components for SDL diagram is system definition, block and process. Not only does the flow chart help in program and network design, but also helps in providing a good resource for internal problems in order to troubleshoot the internal problems.

Data Flow Diagram

In order to bridge the gap formed between the system developer and the user is minimized by Data Flow Diagram. Using relatively very few symbols and connectors, a substantial amount of information can be distilled into the flow chart.

Process Flow Diagram

Widely used for engineering purposes, PFD is used for technical illustrations. In order to exhibit high-level chemical and process engineering, these flow charts come in handy. They do not show minor details, however, highlights the major plant processes.

The information required to be written in a flowchart needs to be crisp and detailed in the same way. A single phrase might be able to describe or summarise a huge process during the mapping sequence of the flow chart. One will be able to detect the purpose easily by asking whether the type of flowchart is necessary for their purpose or not. A flowchart software helps in bridging that gap.